21-Aug-07 00:36:00
Filed under: Cellphones
It's no secret that some wily individuals will look high and low for loopholes to escape a wireless contract, but staging your own death in order to bypass a $175 early termination fee is admittedly extreme. Nevertheless, a frustrated and determined Verizon customer decided to do just that after the carrier refused to let him out of his contract. Insistent that a host of dropped calls and "string of defective cellphones" were reason enough to ditch The Network, he went so far as to "fashion a fake death certificate" and convinced a friend to fax it in. Unfortunately, Verizon caught on to the scheme and yet again refused to let Mr. Taylor out, so as you can probably guess, the perturbed ex-customer begrudgingly coughed up the dough, trashed his phone, and hoped that he "sent a definite message about how much people hate being strapped to a cellphone that doesn't work."
[Via Pocket-Lint]
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Office ...
It's no secret that some wily individuals will look high and low for loopholes to escape a wireless contract, but staging your own death in order to bypass a $175 early termination fee is admittedly extreme. Nevertheless, a frustrated and determined Verizon customer decided to do just that after the carrier refused to let him out of his contract. Insistent that a host of dropped calls and "string of defective cellphones" were reason enough to ditch The Network, he went so far as to "fashion a fake death certificate" and convinced a friend to fax it in. Unfortunately, Verizon caught on to the scheme and yet again refused to let Mr. Taylor out, so as you can probably guess, the perturbed ex-customer begrudgingly coughed up the dough, trashed his phone, and hoped that he "sent a definite message about how much people hate being strapped to a cellphone that doesn't work."
[Via Pocket-Lint]
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Source: Engadget
20-Aug-07 23:49:00
Filed under: Laptops
On the heels of the U305 announcement, Toshiba has quietly upped a pair of U300 machines to its website. The Satellite U300 and Satellite Pro U300 don't differ too awfully much, but the two do sport differing color schemes and arrive with varying levels of RAM, hard drive space, and battery capacity. Regardless, both machines come stocked with Intel Core 2 Duo processors, at least 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 120GB to 2000GB of HDD space, a dual-layer DVD burner, a 13.3-inch WXGA display, Intel's GMA X3100 graphics accelerator, and the usual array of ports including VGA, USB 2.0, audio in / out, and a multicard reader. Prices look to start around £595 ($1,177), and all signs point to these things being ready to ship out as we speak.
[Via TechDigest]
Read - Toshiba Satellite U300
Read - Toshiba Satellite Pro U300
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring ...
On the heels of the U305 announcement, Toshiba has quietly upped a pair of U300 machines to its website. The Satellite U300 and Satellite Pro U300 don't differ too awfully much, but the two do sport differing color schemes and arrive with varying levels of RAM, hard drive space, and battery capacity. Regardless, both machines come stocked with Intel Core 2 Duo processors, at least 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 120GB to 2000GB of HDD space, a dual-layer DVD burner, a 13.3-inch WXGA display, Intel's GMA X3100 graphics accelerator, and the usual array of ports including VGA, USB 2.0, audio in / out, and a multicard reader. Prices look to start around £595 ($1,177), and all signs point to these things being ready to ship out as we speak.
[Via TechDigest]
Read - Toshiba Satellite U300
Read - Toshiba Satellite Pro U300
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring ...
Source: Engadget
20-Aug-07 22:59:00
Filed under: Gaming
It appears the Xbox 360 rumor mill is hard-partying once again, this time over the fairly sketchy information that in addition to the European price cut we mentioned earlier, the game system may be receiving a "changing of the guard" on the SKU front, with the dismissal of the Core system, and the inclusion of a new "Arcade" package. Word on Box Street is that Microsoft is about to upend the low-impact Core units, add an HDMI port, throw five free XBLA games in the mix, slap on a wireless controller, and put a new line of text somewhere on the box. Otherwise the system will remain the same -- AKA no hard drive, white finish, and a target of constant ridicule by your friends, and will be made available for €279 (or about $376). The whole thing makes you wonder if this could have something to do with that discontinued SKU rumor we keep hearing about in the US. Can't wait to find out? Join the club.
[Via Joystiq]
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It appears the Xbox 360 rumor mill is hard-partying once again, this time over the fairly sketchy information that in addition to the European price cut we mentioned earlier, the game system may be receiving a "changing of the guard" on the SKU front, with the dismissal of the Core system, and the inclusion of a new "Arcade" package. Word on Box Street is that Microsoft is about to upend the low-impact Core units, add an HDMI port, throw five free XBLA games in the mix, slap on a wireless controller, and put a new line of text somewhere on the box. Otherwise the system will remain the same -- AKA no hard drive, white finish, and a target of constant ridicule by your friends, and will be made available for €279 (or about $376). The whole thing makes you wonder if this could have something to do with that discontinued SKU rumor we keep hearing about in the US. Can't wait to find out? Join the club.
[Via Joystiq]
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Source: Engadget
20-Aug-07 22:19:00
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds
We're speechless. In fact, we think we might cry -- but rest assured, they're tears of joy. Rumors of a Nokia N95 packing American HSDPA have been spreading like wildfire as of late, and we're ecstatic to see that they were totally true. Though this sucker gets down with the 850 and 1900MHz bands, it doesn't get in on the 1700MHz action, suggesting that if the T-Mobile rumor is still true, this ain't it. Though arguably not quite as attractive as the decidedly non-US 8GB N95 in black that we saw this morning, this phone's innards are pretty much the most beautiful thing we've seen all day. Nokia, we turn the floor over to you to answer questions about pricing and availability.
[Via Wirelessinfo.com]
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
We're speechless. In fact, we think we might cry -- but rest assured, they're tears of joy. Rumors of a Nokia N95 packing American HSDPA have been spreading like wildfire as of late, and we're ecstatic to see that they were totally true. Though this sucker gets down with the 850 and 1900MHz bands, it doesn't get in on the 1700MHz action, suggesting that if the T-Mobile rumor is still true, this ain't it. Though arguably not quite as attractive as the decidedly non-US 8GB N95 in black that we saw this morning, this phone's innards are pretty much the most beautiful thing we've seen all day. Nokia, we turn the floor over to you to answer questions about pricing and availability.
[Via Wirelessinfo.com]
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Source: Engadget
20-Aug-07 21:39:00
Filed under: Wireless
It's still not entirely clear how it'll be used, but there's one thing about the FCC's upcoming 700MHz auction that we now know for sure: it'll go down on January 16 of next year. The feds look to sell off a grand total of 1,099 licenses freed by the approaching end of analog television broadcasting divided into five distinct blocks. So-called Blocks A and E cover the FCC's Economic Areas, 176 distinct subdivisions of the US and its territories. Block B is divided into the smaller Cellular Market Areas category, 734 in total. Block C is Regional, meaning just 12 licenses will be offered spanning the nation. Finally, the controversial Block D -- the public access spectrum everyone's been in a tizzy over -- is being offered as a single giant honking license covering the entire country. As with any huge FCC spectrum offage, this sale promises to generate some corporate fireworks, public discussion, and mudslinging, so we're marking our calendars and crossing our ...
It's still not entirely clear how it'll be used, but there's one thing about the FCC's upcoming 700MHz auction that we now know for sure: it'll go down on January 16 of next year. The feds look to sell off a grand total of 1,099 licenses freed by the approaching end of analog television broadcasting divided into five distinct blocks. So-called Blocks A and E cover the FCC's Economic Areas, 176 distinct subdivisions of the US and its territories. Block B is divided into the smaller Cellular Market Areas category, 734 in total. Block C is Regional, meaning just 12 licenses will be offered spanning the nation. Finally, the controversial Block D -- the public access spectrum everyone's been in a tizzy over -- is being offered as a single giant honking license covering the entire country. As with any huge FCC spectrum offage, this sale promises to generate some corporate fireworks, public discussion, and mudslinging, so we're marking our calendars and crossing our ...
Source: Engadget
20-Aug-07 21:16:00
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
Korea's SAFA sure seems to be keeping up a steady pace with its PMPs as of late, with the company now following up its recently introduced DIA and 3one players with its new "Casiopea" model. Of course, it's a bit easier to churn these out when you don't offer that many distinguishing features between 'em, a tradition that the Casiopea looks to continue. As with those earlier players, this one boasts a 2.4-inch display, along with an FM radio, a voice recorder, a miniSD slot for expansion, and four pre-loaded games (including Tetris). From the looks of it, however, your choices of capacities are a bit more limited, with only 1GB and 2GB versions available for 139,000 and 159,000 won, respectively (or roughly $150 and $170).
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Korea's SAFA sure seems to be keeping up a steady pace with its PMPs as of late, with the company now following up its recently introduced DIA and 3one players with its new "Casiopea" model. Of course, it's a bit easier to churn these out when you don't offer that many distinguishing features between 'em, a tradition that the Casiopea looks to continue. As with those earlier players, this one boasts a 2.4-inch display, along with an FM radio, a voice recorder, a miniSD slot for expansion, and four pre-loaded games (including Tetris). From the looks of it, however, your choices of capacities are a bit more limited, with only 1GB and 2GB versions available for 139,000 and 159,000 won, respectively (or roughly $150 and $170).
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Source: Engadget
20-Aug-07 21:08:00
Filed under: Robots
While it may not have the production values -- and probably not the budget -- of the Pixar-produced Toy Story movies with which it shares a common theme, the stop-motion short "medialab@night" has nevertheless captured our imagination with its clever premise and lovable cast of characters. Just like Buzz, Woody, and that humorous little pig, the high-tech residents of MIT's Media Lab apparently also come to life when no one (except a film crew) is watching, with sensor shoes, pushpin computers, and various other gadgets roaming the halls and causing a bit of mischief. This particular film catches them hacking into the brain of our favorite little Gremlin-esque robot, Leonardo, and rewiring him to edit Wikipedia on -- what else -- an OLPC. Check out the full flick after the break, and just remember this warning the next time your Robosapiens and Pleos try using a Dremel to drill into your brain while you sleep...
[Via Waziwazi]Continue reading ...
While it may not have the production values -- and probably not the budget -- of the Pixar-produced Toy Story movies with which it shares a common theme, the stop-motion short "medialab@night" has nevertheless captured our imagination with its clever premise and lovable cast of characters. Just like Buzz, Woody, and that humorous little pig, the high-tech residents of MIT's Media Lab apparently also come to life when no one (except a film crew) is watching, with sensor shoes, pushpin computers, and various other gadgets roaming the halls and causing a bit of mischief. This particular film catches them hacking into the brain of our favorite little Gremlin-esque robot, Leonardo, and rewiring him to edit Wikipedia on -- what else -- an OLPC. Check out the full flick after the break, and just remember this warning the next time your Robosapiens and Pleos try using a Dremel to drill into your brain while you sleep...
[Via Waziwazi]Continue reading ...
Source: Engadget
20-Aug-07 20:21:00
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Well even though we've seen a number of product switcheroos at legitimate big box chains, you're still probably better off buying your gear at an established retailer than from a guy off the street, as evidenced by the cautionary tale of Charles Wright of Vacaville, California. Mr. Wright thought that he could make a quick buck by shrink-wrapping the tinted windows from old oven doors and passing them off as plasma televisions, offering potential buyers "the deal of the century" on merchandise stored in the trunk of his Acura. Well one of his marks ended up calling the cops, who eventually caught up with Mr. Wright and discovered the bogus "merchandise," along with boxed, 12-inch floor tiles that he was reportedly trying to sell as laptop computers. Pretty shoddy work, sir -- we've seen much better fakes in our day -- but then again, if someone was foolish to take advantage of one of these "deals," perhaps they really needed the life lesson a...
Well even though we've seen a number of product switcheroos at legitimate big box chains, you're still probably better off buying your gear at an established retailer than from a guy off the street, as evidenced by the cautionary tale of Charles Wright of Vacaville, California. Mr. Wright thought that he could make a quick buck by shrink-wrapping the tinted windows from old oven doors and passing them off as plasma televisions, offering potential buyers "the deal of the century" on merchandise stored in the trunk of his Acura. Well one of his marks ended up calling the cops, who eventually caught up with Mr. Wright and discovered the bogus "merchandise," along with boxed, 12-inch floor tiles that he was reportedly trying to sell as laptop computers. Pretty shoddy work, sir -- we've seen much better fakes in our day -- but then again, if someone was foolish to take advantage of one of these "deals," perhaps they really needed the life lesson a...
Source: Engadget
20-Aug-07 20:03:00
Filed under: Displays
Viewsonic's original VX2255 display didn't exactly stand out all that much when it was first announced way back at CES, but that certainly won't be the case with the company's latest revision to the monitor, which now comes clad in Swarovski crystals like so many other gadgets. Lending a hand in that area is G Mask International, which Viewsonic has partnered with to let you customize the monitor to your liking. As for the monitor itself, you can expect some decent if unremarkable specs, including a 22-inch screen size, 1680 x 1050 resolution, 5 ms response time, and 1,000:1 contrast ratio, along with an integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam, speakers, and microphone. No word on what it'll cost, but those in Singapore will be able to check the monitor out first hand at the Comex Show that gets underway later this month.
[Via Tech Digest]
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System...
Viewsonic's original VX2255 display didn't exactly stand out all that much when it was first announced way back at CES, but that certainly won't be the case with the company's latest revision to the monitor, which now comes clad in Swarovski crystals like so many other gadgets. Lending a hand in that area is G Mask International, which Viewsonic has partnered with to let you customize the monitor to your liking. As for the monitor itself, you can expect some decent if unremarkable specs, including a 22-inch screen size, 1680 x 1050 resolution, 5 ms response time, and 1,000:1 contrast ratio, along with an integrated 1.3 megapixel webcam, speakers, and microphone. No word on what it'll cost, but those in Singapore will be able to check the monitor out first hand at the Comex Show that gets underway later this month.
[Via Tech Digest]
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System...
Source: Engadget
20-Aug-07 19:57:00
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
You already know that Bug Labs's DIY gadget line is geared a little more towards the Joneses (and not necessarily those trying to keep up with them), so if you're a little closer to the nerdy hacky hardware / software developer type, Bug has its eye out for you. In its first wave of beta testers the company is looking for software devs to get in deep with the Bug software and SDK, and eventually get going with the first round of hardware when that's ready to get pushed out in its a later phase of the beta. Head on over to the Bug site for more.
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
You already know that Bug Labs's DIY gadget line is geared a little more towards the Joneses (and not necessarily those trying to keep up with them), so if you're a little closer to the nerdy hacky hardware / software developer type, Bug has its eye out for you. In its first wave of beta testers the company is looking for software devs to get in deep with the Bug software and SDK, and eventually get going with the first round of hardware when that's ready to get pushed out in its a later phase of the beta. Head on over to the Bug site for more.
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Source: Engadget
